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Course Syllabus
English I01 • Section 68 (1295) • Fall 2012
Glendale Community College
Instructor: J.T. Allen.
Class Meeting Time: Monday and Wednesday, 5:10 p.m. to 6:35 p.m.
Class Location: LB221
Office Hours: Before class from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Office Location: LB221.
E-mail: jtallen@roadrunner.com
Phone: 213-718-7573.
Web page: https://english101allen.wikispaces.com/home
Course Description
English 101 is a foundation course in critical reading and academic writing required of
students intending to transfer to a university. Through reading and discussion of selected
prose works, students learn to identify problems, examine possible solutions, recognize
unstated assumptions and values, appraise evidence, evaluate arguments, draw
inferences, and test conclusions. Through their writing, students learn to analyze and
synthesize, to organize information logically, and to propose original ideas.
Required Texts
Diane Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, Seventh Edition.
Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, Scribner, trade paperback edition.
Mirriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.
Printed version of all assignments from the class website.
Course Policies
Attendance:
 We will meet twenty-eight times.
 There are no excused absences.
 If you miss four classes you are dropped from the class.
 You lose 5% of your total grade for your second absence, another 5% for your
third absence.
 Class participation is essential. If you don’t participate or if you come unprepared
or if I ask you to leave class (for any of the offenses mentioned below) it counts
as an absence.
 Leaving class early is the same as being absent.
 If you arrive late repeatedly, you will be counted absent.
 If you are absent, it is your responsibility to track assignments you have missed.
Late Work:
 Late work is marked down one full grade for each class session past the due date.
 Late work will be graded but not marked.
 Repeated late submissions will not be accepted.
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Plagiarism:
Don’t put yourself in the position of being suspected of plagiarism. I cannot
emphasize this enough. Plagiarism is considered theft. It will be reported to the
administration and dealt with in accordance with division and college policy.
Turn-it-in-dot-com:
Each student in this class is required to enroll at “turnitin.com”. All out-of-class
assignments and the two drafts of the research paper must be submitted to
“turnitin.com” in order to receive a grade. There are no exceptions. By following
the instructions at the sight you can sign up and submit your papers. Turn-It-In
accepts papers in MS Word, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF, PostScript, HTML, plain
text (.txt). There are three things you must know to enroll:
The class name: English 101 Section 1295.
The class ID number assigned by turn-it-in: 5479664
The class password: Hemingway.
Electronic Devices:
Lap-tops, cell phones, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries—keep them off, keep them
hidden. Exceptions: you are allowed to record assignments and due dates on your
e-device at the very end of class or during break. You are allowed to use certain
devices as instructor-approved electronic dictionaries. If there is some other
exception you think warranted, come speak to me about it before using the device.
Class Participation:
Speaking and writing are inextricably linked, especially in this class where
discussions will be used to test ideas. However, off subject comments,
inappropriate language, being disrespectful of your classmates or instructor, and
conscious insensitivity to the outlooks, opinions, orientations and backgrounds of
others, will have grave consequences.
Document Standards:
All papers for this class, with the exception of papers written in class, are to be
turned in type-written, in Times New Roman 12 point font, and according to
MLA format as described in A Writer’s Reference. E-mail submissions are
never acceptable. Non-standard formatting is also not acceptable. In-class
essays are to be written double-spaced on one-side of college-ruled paper (without
edge perforations) and are to conform to MLA standards in all other ways.
Changes to the syllabus:
It is not possible to keep to the syllabus at all times. According to the pace and
focus of the class, I will change, delete, extend and add reading material,
assignments and deadlines. If there are major changes, I will put out a revised
syllabus, but be advised that the only way to keep up with day-to-day changes is to
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attend class. Making class-buddies who can fill you in if you miss something is a
good idea; repeatedly asking the instructor what you missed or assuming the
syllabus has remained the same in your absence is not.
Hand Outs:
Throughout the term I will be handing out additional material. Usually these are
single pages. You are responsible for keeping the handouts in a folder, in good
order, being familiar the information on each one, and bringing them to class with
you.
ADA Accommodations:
All students with disabilities requiring accommodations are responsible for
making arrangements in a timely manner through the Center for Students with
Disabilities. Please discuss these requirement with me during office hours.
Things you Need to Bring to Every Class:
 The text books, your dictionary, printed copies of assigned reading.
 Black ink pens for writing in-class essays.
 Pencils and highlighter markers for annotating your texts.
 A supply of college rule paper for in-class essays and quizzes.
 A folder for keeping handouts and class-work, as we may use them at any time.
 A notebook for taking class notes.
Course Work
(approximate point values)
(200 points) Two 500 to 600 word out-of-class essays, worth 100 points each.
(150 points*) Minium four in-class essays, value sliding from 10 to 50 points.
(400 points) One MLA documented research paper of no less than 2000 words. (50
for Proposal, 50 for Library Workshop, 50 for Annotated Bibliography, 50
for Outline, 100 for 1st draft, 100 for Final draft.)
(30 points)
Proof of attendance at one Learning Center workshop and two tutoring
sessions at the Learning Center with an English tutor.
(100 points*) In-class participation and attendance, approximately 5 points per session.
(100 points*) Miscellaneous quizzes and exercises, 10 points each. (*On average.)
(100 points) Final in-class essay.
Grading
90% and above = A. 80% and above = B. 70% and above = C. 60% and above = D.
Keeping track of your grade is your responsibility and easy to do since the point value for
each assignment is standard and the assignments are all listed above. When I give a
grade I always give it as a fraction, for example: 40/50 or 78/100 or 10/10. In this
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example there are 160 points possible and the student has earned 128 points. Thus, by
cross-multiplying, we find they have 80% of the total points, or a B. I suggest you keep a
running count of your own grade as we progress.
The Big Paper
Research Papers must be thesis-based arguments of no less than 2000 words, typed in
accordance with MLA standards. Sources must be documented according to MLA
specifications. In order to receive a grade for the final paper, all the other initial steps
must be satisfactorily completed: library workshop, proposal, bibliography, outline, and
1st draft. The instructor must approve your thesis proposal in advance. We will use The
Sun Also Rises as a jumping off point for the paper, with wide latitude of specific
subject. (More on that later.)
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Class Schedule: English 101, Section 1295
Day/Date
Assignments & Agenda (reading assignments are due for the day listed.)
1. W 9/5
Introduction. Goals. Standards. Texts. What is academic writing? MLA
paper form. Editing symbols. Tools: words-per-page & pages-per-hour.
2. M 9/10
Hacker: Composing and Revising. How to Use this Book. Index.
Revision Symbols. (Summary v. analysis.) ESSAY ONE, IN-CLASS: WHAT
I READ AND WHY I READ IT.
3. W 9/12
ESSAY TWO, OUT-OF-CLASS: SUMMARY. Read to discuss: John Holt:
How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading. (Thesis & support: making a
case.)
4. M 9/17
Hacker: Academic Writing. Read to discuss: Caroline Bird: College Is a
Waste of Time and Money. (Argument: claim, evidence & inference.)
ESSAY THREE: IN-CLASS, RESPONSE.
5. W 9/19
Read to discuss: Bernard Levin: Quoting Shakespeare; Janet Kindler:
Vermeer’s Young Woman with a Water Pitcher: Layers of Paint and
Meaning; Helena Arabyan: The Power of Technology.
6. M 9/24
Discussion: comparing evidence, audience, & structure in the Caroline
Bird, John Holt, Janet Kindler and Helena Arabyan essays. Background
on Jonathan Swift.
7. W 9/26
Hacker: MLA style. Read to Discuss: Jonathon Swift: A Modest Proposal.
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8. M 10/1
ESSAY FOUR, OUT-OF-CLASS: SWIFT. Hacker: Sentence Style. (How
language effects argument. Argument: fallacies & rhetorical devices.
9. W 10/3
Read to Discuss: Martin Luthur King: I Have a Dream; Abraham Lincoln:
The Gettysburg Address. (FIGURES OF SPEECH: PRESENTATION OF STUDENT
EXAMPLES.)
10. M 10/8
ESSAY FIVE, OUT-OF-CLASS. (On peer reviewing.)
11. W 10/10
Read to discuss: Vladimir Nabokov, Good Readers and Good Writers.
12. M 10/15 ESSAY SIX, OUT-OF-CLASS: REVISION. Hacker: Word Choice.
13. W 10/17
DEADLINE: LIBRARY WORKSHOP. (Introduction to The Sun Also Rises.
First person narrator and novel structure. Research Thesis: how to find,
how to nurture.)
14. M 10/22
The Sun Also Rises: first half of novel. (Hemingway discussion: context,
WWI & after. Paris and the Lost Generation. Roman à clef.)
15. W 10/14
The Sun Also Rises: second half of novel. ( Hemingway discussion:
context, Southern France & Spain. Research paper topic.)
SPRING BREAK 4/9 THRU 4/13 • NO CLASS
16. M 10/29
THESIS STATEMENT DUE. PRESENT THESIS STATEMENT. (Hemingway
discussion: language and structure.) Read to discuss: William Adair:
Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
17. W 10/31
ESSAY SEVEN, IN-CLASS: SELF-IMPROVEMENT. (Individual consultation
on thesis proposals.) Read to discuss: Linda W. Wagner: The Sun Also
Rises: Overview
18. M 11/5
Hacker: Researching. (Plagiarism: spotting & avoiding.) REVISED
RESEARCH THESIS DUE. WRITING PLAN DUE. IN-CLASS ESSAY: NONSTOP.
19. W 11/7
Research reading. (Annotation: how and why? Effective research reading.
Sentence workshop.)
Monday, November 17, Veterans Day
20. W 11/14
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE. PRESENTATION OF A FAVORITE
SOURCE.
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21. M 11/19
Research reading. (Useful constructions, per Graff & Birkenstein.
Framing quotes.) PRESENTATION OF PROJECTS. RESEARCH OUTLINE DUE.
ESSAY EIGHT: IN-CLASS: ZERO DRAFT.
22. W 11/21 RESEARCH PAPER, FIRST DRAFT DUE (BRING TWO COPIES). In-class
reading: TBD. (Peer review of 1st draft.)
November 22 —25, Thanksgiving Break
23. M 11/26 (First drafts returned. Sentence workshop. Patterns of organization in
complex arguments.)
24. W 11/28
Read to discuss: George Orwell: Politics and the English Language.
25. M 12/3
Read to Discuss: Katha Pollit: Does a Literary Canon Matter?
(Presentation of Pollit references. Argument strategy and intended
audience.)
26. W/12/5
Read to Discuss: Virginia Woolf: In Search of a Room of One’s Own.
(Presentation of Woolf references.)
27. M/12/10
Discuss Woolf, Orwell, Pollit. Term review. Tips for writing exam
essays.) RESEARCH PAPER, SECOND DRAFT DUE.
28. W 12/12 THROUGH W 12/19
FINAL EXAM (EXACT TIME & TBD.)
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Simple Editing Symbols
a
awkward.
ag
agreement.
c
coherence.
ci
citation problem.
d
development.
f
fragment.
g
grammar problem.
i
idiom.
j
jargon.
m
mechanics: caps, lc, style, font.
n
nonstandard usage.
p
punctuation problem.
r
recast.
rd
redundant.
ro
run-on sentence.
sl
slang.
sp
spelling.
su
support needed.
tr
transition needed.
v
vague.
w
wrong word.
x
obvious error.
+
good.
++
great.
–
not good.
See also: A Writer’s Reference, second to last page, Revision Symbols.
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Quiz: Know Your Syllabus
(Short answers or true/false.)
1. How many times can you miss class before it impacts your grade?
2. All dictionaries are basically the same. (T/F)
3. When is the Library Workshop deadline?
4. As long as my paper is written on a computer, it is good-to-go! (T/F)
5. The spell-checker on my computer makes sure my spelling is perfect every time. (T/F)
6. Writing is rewriting. (T/F)
7. It is okay to receive text messages in class as long as I don’t disrupt anyone. (T/F)
8. As long as I keep a record of my grades and am mindful of my class participation, I
should know what my grade is anytime I want. (T/F)
9. What does it mean if I see “a/r” written on my paper?
10. When is the first draft of my research paper due?
•••
I have read and understand the contents of this syllabus for English 101, Section 1295,
and agree to abide by the regulations and deadlines set forth in it.
Print name: _________________________________________________
Signature: ___________________________________________________